My neighbour kindly gave me a 20 gallong tank he didn't want any more.
I could use it for my goldfish who are outgrowing their 10 gallon
tank. However, it has a bad smell in it, like some kind of solvent
(it's been in his basement for a while). I filled it with water and
let it sit for a while and rinsed it out but the smell remains. A bit
of the sealer in the bottom is kind of sticky too.

I'm wondering if digging out the sealer and replacing it would make it
safe for my fishies? It would save me spending $75 for a new tank but
I don't want to kill the fish.

Any thoughts?

Judy